Despite the fact that it is usually combined with plastics or other chemical coatings, paper-based food packaging is often labeled as a greener alternative to plastics. A new study reveals that this is “misleading” to citizens and policymakers — and is not a credible solution to Europe’s increasing waste crisis.
The report was led by a coalition of NGOs including the European Environmental Bureau, Zero Waste Europe, Fern, Environmental Paper Network, and the Rethink Plastic alliance. The group teamed up with deforestation NGOs to commission a study from independent research organization Profundo.
Results show that paper-based packaging makes up the largest source of packaging waste in the EU, with predictions that paper alone will generate more waste than both plastic and glass — the next two largest waste streams.
More than that, paper-based packaging is a large contributor to deforestation around the world. About 90% of paper pulp is made from wood and paper production is responsible for 35% of all trees felled.
“The public and policymakers are being misled about the sustainability and circularity of paper-based food packaging.”
Brazil is Europe’s largest provider of pulp and paper, providing more to Europe compared to Sweden and Finland, the region’s biggest producers. Its pulp production has tripled over the past two decades, covering an area of 7.2 million hectares — twice the surface of Belgium.
Eucalyptus and pine plantations are bumping up water scarcity, forest fires, and biodiversity loss. Finnish forests are now a net emitter of carbon dioxide in Europe due to overgrowth, with 76% of Finnish forest habitats classified as threatened.
”This study sounds the alarm on the false solutions of substituting one single-use material for another,” said Marco Musso, senior policy officer for circular economy at the European Environmental Bureau. “The public and policymakers are being misled about the sustainability and circularity of paper-based food packaging.”
He added that EU decision-makers must focus on “restricting avoidable packaging while promoting efficient and convenient reuse systems” to credibly prevent waste.
“This is particularly crucial in the food and drinks sector which accounts for two-thirds of the total packaging market in Europe,” he stated.
The consequences of paper-based food packaging
Recycling paper-based food and beverage packaging has its limits, as well. The report highlights how such packaging is almost always combined with plastics or chemicals to ensure it remains waterproof or grease-resistant. This makes it difficult to recycle — meaning that most food packaging end up incinerated or in landfills.
The report further delves into how the combination of paper with plastics and chemicals can also prove dangerous to consumer health.
“Repeated lab tests are revealing that hazardous chemicals — including those that can cause cancer and disturb our hormones such as PFAS — are present in paper and cardboard food packaging, and that they migrate from the packaging material and end up in consumers’ bodies,” says toxic-free circular economy policy officer at Zero Waste Europe, Dorota Napierska.
Moving forward, the paper recommends turning to reusable packaging to counter the harmful effects of single-use paper and plastic.
“On average, three billion trees are cut each year for global paper packaging — and this is set to rise,” said Sergio Baffoni, campaign coordinator at the Environmental Paper Network. “The European Commission proposes banning all single-use packaging in restaurants. This is a good place to start when it comes to reducing pressure on forests. To curb growing demands for pulp, the EU should also phase out single-use paper-based packaging for takeaway.”
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